Beef and Noodles -Gluten Free

This is the time of year in Northern Virginia where we’ll have a few really nice warm sunny days in the high 60’s or low 70’s and then the next few days in the 40’s. This can be very wearing and send me right to the comfort food meals. A gravy rich beef and noodles meal is one of those comfort meals. Take that cold rainy windy weather.

This dish is quick and easy to make especially when you can pull the already cooked beef brisket from the freezer. I know I must harp on this but it really does save you time and money. Purchase those less expensive cuts of beef especially when they are on sale. Cook them in the crockpot (uses less electricity, therefore $), separate into servings to cook with later and freeze. Make sure you get freezer paper and the heavy duty foil where you can write on the outside what it is and the date it was cooked. I like to wrap mine twice to insure no freezer burn.

This meal can be made in one pot but I like to cook my gluten free noodles separately in my homemade beef stock. Again, making a large crockpot full of stocks and freeze them will save you money and help control ingredients. In this recipe I used frozen peas but fresh will work too, just cook a little longer. You can also use uncooked beef in whatever form you like, ground, and stew like cubes, sliced or even meatballs. If you don’t eat meat, use your favorite substitute such as tofu, soy crumbles or portabella mushrooms with a vegetable or mushroom stock.

Heat your skillet with oil as you cut up your onions. Add them to the pan and cook until tender. While they are cooking clean and cut up your mushrooms. Remember not to wash your mushrooms under water, but wipe off with a damp cloth to keep them from getting tough. Toss the sliced mushrooms (I keep the stems on) into the pan and add a little more oil if needed. Wait for the mushrooms to brown before adding in a layer of salt and pepper. Add in frozen peas and take advantage of the water released to scrape off the bits of flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile in a separate pot, cook your noodles so they will be ready to add into the main skillet. Now add in your thawed cooked beef brisket, seasonings, cooked noodles and beef stock. Stir to combine and put the lid on, turn to simmer for 3-5 minutes. This will allow the beef to warm through and stock to thicken a little. When you remove the lid, check the thickness of the stock. If it’s too thin, slowly add in your arrowroot slurry, stirring constantly. Remember to taste this before serving to see if you need to add in any more salt and pepper or seasonings.

[…] the boxed quinoa pasta, I’ve made many recipes and here are just a few: Turkey-roni, Beef and Noodles, Pasta Surprise (with cauliflower), and Spaghetti and Meatballs, plus many more. You can always […]